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trillscienceofficer · 3 months ago

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from Star Trek: Voyager the official magazine, June 1997

ROXANN DAWSON - B'Elanna Torres

by Ian Spelling

“You never really get used to it,” Roxann Dawson says of the makeup that transforms her into B'Elanna Torres on STAR TREK: VOYAGER. “I've gotten used to having it applied, but I don't think you ever really get used to it. Part of me likes it though. It certainly helps me slip into character and, of course, I'm not recognized at all out of the makeup, sometimes not even on the set.

“I remember that in the first few months we were doing the show, even people on the set had no idea who I was. I would walk right onto the stage without makeup and our own director of photography wouldn't recognize me. Over time, people have seen me out of makeup a little bit more often. So at least the cast and crew are beginning to know who I am now.”

Dawson smiles, which is a big no-no. At this very moment, she's sitting in a chair as a makeup artist glues on prosthetics and paints over assorted Klingon facial ridges. Every time Dawson stretches her facial muscles too much—which occurs when she smiles or laughs—she risks ruining the makeup artists work, and that would only mean more time in the chair. “I usually like to look the person I'm talking to in the eye,” Dawson explains. "But I can't turn my head, either. Use the mirror. I know it's a little weird, but if you look at me in the mirror as we speak, we can make eye contact.”

Clearly, Dawson has held more than a few conversations from this chair, which sits in the middle of a make-up trailer just a short walk from the VOYAGER sound-stages on the Paramount Pictures lot.

Hard as it may be to believe, three years have passed since Dawson first arrived here to play B'Elanna in the “Caretaker” pilot. “It is hard to believe, and it has been a great experience. I've been able to do almost everything as an actress portraying this character,” she enthuses. The other day, they had me rappelling for a scene we were shooting. That was so cool. It's one of the neat things about being an actor. You don't have to know how to do something and you don't really have to practice it. They just had me do it. Of course, I was protected, and a stuntwoman would have done anything that would have been too dangerous for me to do.”

Dawson notes, “We're also learning so much about this character. In ‘Blood Fever,’ we really explored many aspects that were very particular to B'Elanna, but not necessarily particular to Klingons or chief engineers in general. We're discovering that she's not just strong in the masculine sense, but that she can be sexual and feminine and interested in learning more about herself. I talked with Jeri Taylor at the beginning of the season because I wanted to see more of B'Elanna's Klingon side come out. I didn't want her to become too complacent. I wanted her irreverence to always be there. I wanted that war going on inside of her to be present and always a conflict that influenced her choices. I think the writers are making sure that's all there this sea- son.

“I don't want B'Elanna to be a goody two-shoes,” Dawson emphasizes. “I don't mind seeing her darker, uglier sides. That's important. It's part of who she is. It's good to see her at her worst. It's good to see her learn from her mistakes. That's what makes a character interesting. I love that, and I hope it continues.

“You never really get what you want as an actress, but with B'Elanna, I've really gotten a lot of what I had wished for. The writers keep surprising me,” she continues. “They keep coming up with different aspects of her for me to explore. I think to myself, ‘How did you know that was in my hidden agenda?’ That's a wonderful feeling for an actress on any show to have.”

Dawson also believes that the writers are doing justice to B'Elanna's relationships with the other characters aboard Voyager. When the series began, she was primarily presented as an outsider, even among her Maquis co-conspirators. Over time, B'Elanna has emerged as a respected member of the crew. Captain Janeway now shows the utmost confidence in her, and her friendship with Tom Paris seems to be blossoming into romance. “One thing people have to understand is that this is an ensemble show. There are nine regular characters to service every week,” Dawson notes. “I just feel really fortunate that, in such a short time, they've developed B'Elanna's specific relationships with just about everyone on the ship. except maybe Kes. We haven't had much to do together and I would love to have an episode exploring that relationship a little bit more.

"With all of the other characters, though, I have a specific relationship and a definite attitude, and each relationship and attitude is changing and growing. I love thee fact that the Doctor can tick me off so much at one moment, but al other moments there is an element of respect, when he does something that impresses me. For example, when I thought we were losing him and his memory, I suddenly realize that I need him, that he has grown me. I love that every once in a while, we see little windows of B'Elanna's past with Chakotay. Paris and I got very close in ‘Blood Fever’, but I was under the influence of something, I was in Klingon heat.

“I want the writers to keep surprising me. Sometimes I love not knowing exactly what's going to happen, and not figuring it out until I'm handed a script. I really don't know where they're going to go with the relationship between B'Elanna and Paris. I do hope they'll take their time and make it happen slowly. I hope it's original, a little different than what we've seen before. I hope they put in a great deal of friction. I'm sure B'Elanna is different from anyone Paris has ever been involved with before, and would love to see him realizing and dealing with that. I see that all happening, and it really pleases me.”

According to Dawson, she and Robert Duncan McNeill have sat down and discussed the best ways to make the B'Elanna-Paris relationship work for them, how to best add layers to the groundwork being provided by the shows writing staff. By way of example, when they received the “Blood Fever” teleplay, the two discussed the arc of the script and how they saw it as the launching pad for an ongoing relationship. They incorporated their conversations into their performances when the scenes were played out before the camera. 'It really comes down to the actors interpreting what's on the page,” Dawson says. “Robbie and I wanted to make sure that certain elements were there and, also, we didn't want to overstep any boundaries. We wanted to be certain we were doing it right. We do discuss things on that level, but we always have to keep in mind that we must by what the script says.”

Sometimes, of course, Dawson also must go by what her directors say. And the actress has been directed not only by actor/directors Jonathan Frakes and LeVar Burton, but also by her VOYAGER costars McNeill and Robert Picardo. McNeill helmed “Sacred Ground”, while Picardo called the shots on “Alter Ego”. “I had about 30 seconds of screen time in ‘Sacred Ground,’ but I was impressed with what Robbie did. Actually, he's going to direct another episode,” she says. “Bob was great on his show. It amazes me, because you don't always know that an actor will be able to direct. Both of these men are obviously multi-talented, because they're not only fine actors but they managed to direct well, too."

Soon enough, Dawson will find out whether or not she can add herself to the list of multi-talented VOYAGER cast members, for she is enrolled in STAR TREK's director-in-training program, which has turned out such directors as Frakes, Burton, Patrick Stewart and STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE's Avery Brooks and Rene Auberjonois. She's watching other directors in action, sitting in on editing sessions and the like, all in preparation to direct an episode sometimes next season. “There's a great education to be had here and they treat me with such grace. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to learn this craft,” Dawson enthuses with a smile that elicits a wince from her makeup man.

“I've always wanted to direct. I've directed for theater, but it's quite different from directing for film or TV. I honestly don't know if I'll like it or be good at it. I think the time for deciding whether I'll be a good director is right now, during the learning process. So far, I really do love it. Hopefully, I'll be good at it, too. Whatever episode they give me to do, I just want to be able to bring it to life. Each episode is so different. Sometimes you're handled something that's very action-oriented, and sometimes you'll get something that's very thought-provoking. I don't know which kind of show I would be better at, but part of me says I would be better off starting with a quieter episode. I don't know if I have a particular style that I would impose anything. That was always my goal as a stage director. I'll probably stick with that idea for my first episode."

While Roxann Dawson may go on to make her mark as a director of VOYAGER, she's well aware that, even though she'll likely enjoy a long, fruitful career beyond STAR TREK, the show, her role and the fans will always be a part of her life. "I've heard that. Am I comfortable with it? I guess I'm growing more comfortable with the idea," she acknowledges.

"If this was something that didn't deserve that kind of recognition, then I would feel uncomfortable. But I think VOYAGER does deserve that kind of recognition. I'm part of something special. So, yeah, I guess I am comfortable with the idea STAR TREK being a part of my life forever. Let me put it this way: I'm as comfortable as I could be.”

Focus: Star Trek: Voyager

It has been a long time since Roxann Dawson last looked back at the episodes of STAR TREK: VOYAGER which were either focused almost entirely on B'Elanna Torres or which featured scenes of importance as they related to the character. Thus, the conversation backtracks to October 1995, when “Persistence of Vision” first aired:

“Persistence of Vision” (The crew's deeply buried desires surface; Chakotay seduces B'Elanna): “All I remember from that one was not being able to stop laughing when we were doing the love scene between Chakotay and me. Robert Beltran and I just kept cracking each other up.”

“Resistance” (The crew encounters the Mokra; Tuvok and B'Elanna are captured): “I liked working with Tim Russ. That was the first show where I saw any potential for exploring the relationship between Tuvok and B'Elanna. I realized he could help her explore some of the imbalances in the way she views her Klingon and human sides.”

“Prototype” (B'Elanna reactivates a robot, only to have it kidnap her and try to destroy Voyager) and “Dreadnought” (B'Elanna beams inside a missile to deactivate it): “I worked with Jonathan Frakes and LeVar Burton [as directors] on those two shows. They're both great guys. It's funny, in ‘Faces’ I dealt with myself a lot. In ‘Prototype’ I dealt with a robot and in ‘Dreadnought’ I dealt with a computer that had my voice. So, I was acting with myself in three B'Elanna-heavy episodes. I begged the writers to make the next one something where I interacted with a human. “Jonathan did a great job directing ‘Prototype’. ‘Dreadnought’ surprised me because so much effort went into actually developing the computer voice. That came about through hours and hours of looping. The whole show was B'Elanna and her relationship with this computer counterpart. So, it was fascinating for me to create that relationship half in performance and half in a sound studio.”

“The Thaw” (A clown [Michael McKean] holds Harry Kim and B'Elanna hostage while Janeway tries to free them): “I didn't have a whole lot to do in that. but I thought it was a brilliant episode. It had a lot to say and certain moments were just chilling, especially the death of Fear. Michael McKean was just great.”

“The Swarm” (The Doctor's system overloads and B'Elanna tries to help him recover his programming): “That was a great opportunity to work with Bob Picardo and to explore B'Elanna's relationship with the Doctor. I liked the fact that, to B'Elanna, he had always been just a computer, and in this episode she got to see he had this... humanity.”

“Remember” (B'Elanna has bad dreams; Dawson plays two roles): “I loved having the opportunity to do that show. It was a brilliant script. I loved being able to play the two characters, and how Karenna's [sic] life influenced B'Elanna's. I felt the show had something to say. Bruce Davidson [who played Jareth, Karenna's father] was extraordinary. I've always wanted to work with him. I had known of him since I lived in New York City, and he was just brilliant.”

“Blood Fever” (B'Elanna experiences Klingon heat; she and Paris begin their relationship): “That was an extraordinary experience. It demanded a kind of courage I didn't know I had. I took risks there, and I'm glad I did. I hope people think those risks paid off.”

“Darkling” (The Doctor goes bad): That was our Jekyll and Hyde epsiode with the Doctor turning a little evil. Bob Picardo and I had some fun together when he was in his Mr. Hyde mode. He paralyzed me and he was threatening to kill me and Bob was speaking in a sleazy, very sexual way. It was so disgusting, but I think it came across very funny.”

Though Torres doesn't feature heavily in the next few episodes shot, efforts have been made to develop one aspect of her character. “What's happening is that they've been furthering the B'Elanna/Paris relationship in subsequent episodes. In ‘Displaced’ we have the B-storyline. We did a lot of head-butting in that one. And we did one show where, for the first time, I worked only one day. But the whole day was B'Elanna/Paris stuff.

#voy #trek magazines #star trek monthly #roxann dawson #b'elanna torres

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cillianmesoftlyyy · 11 months ago

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Cut the Shit-Delusion, Sweetheart | Cillian Murphy x fem!reader

summary: A young actress confesses her feelings to Cillian Murphy, this is how he responds.

warning: This is a much different story than I usually write but I think it's one that we all need in moments of pain and loneliness; to allow ourselves to feel sad and disappointment and hurt. We use people like Cillian to comfort ourselves and give ourselves reasons to be happy and sometimes we need moments to be sad. I was inspired by Fleabag (of course) and an AI edit I saw of Cillian where he turns someone down and its really sweet even though it breaks my heart lol. Age-diff, 1 noncon kiss, talk of infidelity.

word count: 1791+k

Blue Light- Mazzy Star 🎶

Don't interact if you're a Yvonne-hater, please and thanks <3

She hesitated before she knocked on the side-door of Cillian’s trailer. This desperate feeling overwhelmed her and she knew that she couldn’t sleep unless she went to him and confessed how she felt. She’d been plagued by dreams of them together, these beautiful, perfect dreams that poisoned her sleep like melatonin. She loved him and whether or not he felt the same way, she needed to tell him. She exhaled shakily as she dropped her arm back to her side. She was wearing her normal clothes, out of costume finally after a long day of shooting. She lost her sense of security behind the battlements of her gowns and numerous frilly things. She couldn’t hide her feelings behind her character anymore.

The door opened and Cillian leaned against the doorframe in a casual greeting.

“Don’t tell me we have a late night call time tonight, I’m fucking exhausted.” He smiled with his lopsided grin, his wide lips framing his teeth.

“No, but there is some business I need to attend to. May I come in?” She returned his smile and mirrored his posture.

“Sure, come on.” He stepped aside and raised his arm in a welcoming gesture for her to pass through the door. She nodded in silent thanks and stood awkwardly in his trailer which was simple and quaint. Except for the unmade bed, the trailer was neat and orderly.

“Oh fuck I’m sorry, were you asleep when I knocked?” She blushed and squeezed her palms together in an anxious gesture.

“Nah, I was just reading the script for a movie my agent wants me to do next.”

“Oh,” she nodded and turned her attention to the rack of costumes his character wore, “is it any good?”

“It's definitely interesting but I don’t think it’s t’e right film for me.” He sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. Cillian was wearing a plain t-shirt and pajama pants, and seeing the innocent-intimate side of his life made her want so desperately to kiss him. She sat on the small couch he had in the trailer and tried to smile.

“That’s too bad. Is it anything I’d like?” She joked and he nodded seriously.

“Actually, yeh. I’ll send it over once I’m through. I’ve been re-reading it.” He moved his hands through the air as he spoke, so unlike his characters. She almost laughed and he smiled.

“So, what can I do for you? You said you had some business to attend to. Sounds serious. Should I be worried?” He raised his eyebrow and crossed his legs, his hands cupped around the edge of the mattress. She tried to speak and immediately failed. Frustrated and embarrassed tears filled her eyes and she hid them by looking up at the ceiling. Cillian furrowed his brow, concerned.

“What’s wrong?” He leaned forward on the bed and she shook her head, laughing lightly at herself.

“I feel so incredibly stupid now for coming here.” She looked away and the bed squeaked softly as Cillian stood and joined her on the couch. She scooted over to give him some room and picked at the skin on her hands.

“You can always come to me. Whatever it is.” He said softly and the air around them stilled with anticipation.

“Oh don’t say that, Cillian. You’re so kind…” she started to cry and tried to hide her face.

“Fuck, I hate tears, please don’t cry! Did somet’ing happen?” He raised his hands helplessly, holding them over her without being sure what to do with them. She nodded her head slowly and hiccuped pitifully.

“You’ll have to forgive me for my comforting abilities. I’ve never been good on t’at front and I have boys so I’m better at comforting members of the male species.” He shrugged and smiled, trying to lighten the mood. She laughed despite herself and wiped her eyes. She stood and paced the front of the trailer, knowing that it was now or never.

“Cillian, this is such a horrible way to end your nice evening but I can’t continue on set without getting this off my chest. I hope you’ll forgive me.” She dared herself to look at him and he met her eyes, holding her eye-contact with mature resolve.

“Of course.” He nodded softly, wrinkling his forehead, now more concerned with what his costar was going to tell him. He was naive. He assumed she was going to tell him that she couldn’t work with him anymore or that something had happened in their scenes that had made her uncomfortable. He shifted uneasily on the couch, watching her. She tried to speak a few times but exhaled and shook her head. Cillian stood and met her where she was standing. He was a good few feet taller than her and so much older, but having him there beside her made the feelings she wanted to tell him about so much stronger.

“Cillian, this isn’t easy to say,” she looked down at her hands and then up into his clear blue eyes. “I have feelings for you, more than our professional relationship can offer. Working with you on set all this time has… it’s made my feelings so much harder to ignore, Cillian.”

He froze and remembered to breathe, drawing in a startled breath.

“T’at wasn’t what I was expecting you to say.” He ran his hand over his mouth and looked away, his blue eyes moving through his hidden thoughts.

“I know you probably don’t feel the same but I just… it’s driving me mad, Cillian. It’s becoming a form of method acting that isn’t fun anymore.” She tried to laugh lightly but grimaced and put the backs of her hands against her burning cheeks.

“Yeh…” he nodded and sighed, his eyes wide.

She groaned and returned to the couch, sitting on her sweaty hands.

“I can go, Cillian. I can leave if you don’t want me here anymore.” She whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

“No, no. We need to talk t’rough this.” He said calmly, slowly, and covered his mouth with his freckled hand.

“Oh God, I’ve gone and fucked everything up. I’m sorry Cillian. I knew you didn’t feel the same but I still let myself go to you.” She leaned back against the couch and pulled her hands through her hair and pulled the skin back from her face.

“Stop it. Don’t say t'at.” Cillian snapped not unkindly but sternly and took a deep breath. “See, we need to talk about t’is so we can still work together, eh?” He ran a hand through his own dark hair and looked at her for a moment, thinking.

“How, Cillian? If you knew how I felt about you… it’s maddening. I can’t sleep, Cillian. You’re all I think about as pathetic as it sounds,” she took a deep breath, “I love you. And now you’ll hate me.” She continued and moved her hands, clasped together between her knees.

Cillian sighed and moved abruptly to her side on the couch, opening his body towards her.

“Don’t talk for me, eh? Look, I understand. It’s hard to not develop certain er… feelings when we do what we do, right?” He cocked his head to the side and licked his lips awkwardly.

“I know I’m childish, Cillian, but I can’t help it. I’m suffering without you… without more from you, more than we can do on set.” She whined and rubbed her shoulders as if she were cold. “Can you indulge me? Do you feel even a little of what I do?” She whispered, looking deeply into his eyes. He said nothing for a second before running his hands up and down his face, exhaling loudly into his palms. He put his hands down and leaned towards her on his elbows.

“I’m married, sweetheart. Yvonne is my wife and I love her.” He whispered softly, his hands splitting the space between them.

“But I love you.” She whispered back and leaned in to kiss him. He allowed her to kiss him once and when she pulled away, dejected, he took her chin gently.

“Cut the shit-delusion, sweetheart. You’re young… far too young for me. You may t’ink you love me but you don’t know me.”

He took her face in his hands and smiled sadly as tears rolled down her pink cheeks.

“I know you’ll find someone who truly loves you. You’re a beautiful young woman who has her entire life ahead of her. I’m flattered t'at you feel t’at way about me but we can’t, I can’t. If the roles were reversed and we were married and Yvonne approached me, wouldn’t you want me to stop t’ings before t’ey went too far?” He supported her head as she dropped it slightly to the side. She felt empty of words and so he continued.

“You’re a darling girl but you know we can’t do t’is.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb and wiped away her tears. “You need a boy your age who knows how to love you in the way you need to be loved. I only know how to love my wife… and she’s the only one who knows how to love me.”

“I could have loved you in whatever way you needed.” She whispered weakly and he smiled softly. “I know, sweetheart,” he soothed her like a father, “but you wouldn’t have been happy wit' me. You’re out of my league and you would have gotten bored of me.” He joked lightly and she allowed a pained smile to form on her lips.

“I’m sorry, Cillian. I feel like such a fool.” She closed her eyes and he hugged her close.

“Nah, you’re still a kid. You’re many t’ings but foolish is not one of ’em.” He squeezed her tightly and kissed her head affectionately. “You’re a good kid and a great actress. We’ll be fine, the two of us, eh?” He pulled away and she wiped her eyes dry.

“I’ll try.”

She kissed him briefly on the cheek and rose to her feet. She walked to the door and looked back at the actor with a small smile, the door open in front of her.

“Goodnight, Cillian.”

He nodded from the couch.

“Y/N?”

“Yes?”

Cillian stood and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants, shrugging his shoulders up to his ears.

“You weren’t the only one.... That is, you weren’t the only one who felt…” he broke off and cleared his throat, “but it's better t’is way, yeh?.... It’ll pass, love. It’ll pass.”

He met her eyes one last time and she nodded sadly yet full of a completeness found in their mutual understanding.

“Goodnight, Cillian.” She said again and closed the door behind her and left the trailer, walking with her back to the wind. Cillian collapsed back on the couch and looked at his watch, wondering if Yvonne was awake. She always answered his calls. She put up with everything, God bless her. She was everything and more than he deserved. He rang her up and she answered after the second ring, her voice ringed with sleepiness.

"Heya, love." He whispered with a smile, "No, everyt'ing's fine. I just wanted to call you. I miss you, girl. Yeah, yeah. Put them on."

#cillian x fem!reader #cillian murphy #cillian murphy x reader #cillian x reader #cillian x y/n #cillian fluff #oppenheimer #cillian fic #cillian fanfic #fanfiction

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tossawary · 11 months ago

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Regarding "The Hobbit" film trilogy, even if I ended up personally disliking and resenting how much time and focus the elf characters (and others) ended up taking away from the dwarves whom I think deserved more focus as rich internal characters (I know that studio pressures are a factor in that terrible love triangle and so on), I still... vaguely appreciate the effort to create and include named female characters like Tauriel, when the book is sadly lacking in them. I think she's fine, actually. Comparatively, there are many other elements in these adaptations that I think are much, MUCH worse.

But still, if you want to add female characters to this story, the obvious answer to me seems to be to just make half the Company into dwarf women? (With similarly fancy beards and other facial hair! Because I think that's fun.) It's just... so much easier?

Do NOT come at me with that "dwarf women are rare" bullshit. Unreliable narration. Logistically unlikely. Also, if you believe that "men are the warriors and craftsmen, the women stay at home" is how dwarf society strictly functions (boring, honestly, on top of being incredibly sexist), I could argue that the Battle of Azanulbizar and other struggles probably left a significant dent in this dwarf group's male population, leaving behind many widows and mothers without children to pick up the work. The battlefields have come to and TAKEN both Erebor and Moria from the dwarves. I see no good reason why dwarf women would not have equal investment in reclaiming their home and the gold. Many of the Company are not presented to be formally trained warriors, anyway.

Now, ideally, we could do way queerer stuff in terms of both romance and gender here, but we know cowards with veto powers would not let this happen. Still, I feel like basic genderbending would have been a very doable move and is, actually, a very reasonable ask of an adaptation that would have added some depth to the story even if you didn't acknowledge the change at all.

Like, preferably, this would be an adaptational change that would be directly addressed. Maybe all of the Company appear male at first due to traveling that way (and assumptions made by humans and hobbits), then Bilbo might learn that some of the Company are dwarf women when he becomes closer to all of them. We could have a brief scene acknowledging that dwarf women are fighting these battles for their pasts and their futures too. It doesn't have to be a big thing! They can just be there. Existing. Participating.

I even think it would be fun if two of the dwarves were actually an older married couple traveling together, instead of brothers or cousins, because loving married bickering and battle couples are fun. You can have running jokes in the background about how Smaug's invasion ruined their wedding day, and going back and forth with "you never take me anywhere nice" @ each other whenever they're stuck in Goblintown or the Mirkwood dungeons. (I like seeing good marriages & partnerships in fiction and established couples going on fantasy quests together. I just think it's neat.)

But another (sillier) direction is that you could just cast some actresses in beards to play some of the dwarves, then leave the fact that some of these characters are probably dwarf women (traveling as men) as a fun detail for the audience. Bilbo is either too oblivious to notice or much too polite to bring it up at all. It's canonically compliant to the text this way!

Now, obviously some few people would have complained that Tolkien's work was being ruined by "political correctness", but they complained anyway about Tauriel (when there are MANY other bad choices in these movies), and what worthwhile arguments could they have possibly made against genderbending some of the THIRTEEN dwarves? Like, most casual fans I know cannot NAME the entire Company, who get so little character development in the book that the films had to come up with unique designs and backgrounds for most of them anyway. Bro (directed towards someone objecting to the idea of including female dwarves), be real, there's no way that you honestly cared this much about "Nori the Dwarf" before right now.

#tossawary tolkien #long post

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cwritesforfun · 2 months ago

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please please please i beg you write another Emma Darcy x Fem!reader pleeeeeeasssee

Emma D'Arcy x Fem!Reader: Fake Dating

You work as an actress as well. You were Alicent in House of Dragon.

Prompt idea from @prompts-of-the-pond - “I’m auditioning next month for the love interest of a new movie they’re making, but I’ve never been in a relationship… Can you tell me what it’s like? Or, actually, show me, it’ll be easier.”

Y/N = Your Name using She/Her/Hers pronouns Emma's pronouns are They/Them ** I do not own any House of Dragon plot points briefly mentioned

Masterlist

Y/N's POV

You call Emma.

((Start of conversation)) Y/N - Heyyyyy Emma - Hi are you drunk? Y/N - No and you took forever to respond. Emma - What? I answered immediately. What are you drinking? Y/N - A whiskey neat. It's not usually what I drink, but I needed a drink tonight and it was all I could find in my house. I don't even know whose it is. Emma - Haha are you going to be sober for our interview tomorrow? Y/N- Yes of course. I know how to hydrate. Water water water! All anyone talks about is water. Emma - You crack me up. Why did you call? Y/N - Wanted to hear your voice. Emma - Ok well I'm actually busy, but I can call later to talk more. Y/N - No, I'm fine. Bye. ((End of conversation))

You fall asleep immediately after.

Your interviews with Emma for House of the Dragon are borderline flirty every single time. You've thought about asking them out, but you're worried about what would happen if season 3 happened, and what if you didn't work out? It's messing with your head to think about dating your co-worker. Not to mention, you drank too much last night and it went to your head. You have a major hangover and are struggling.

The next day, you finish making a home-cooked dinner and pour yourself a glass of wine. Emma arrives on time and is excited for the dinner.

Emma asks, "So what's the occasion?" You answer, "I had something to run by you. It's kind of help for an upcoming role." Emma asks, "Oh and you need my help? You're more than capable of anything you put your mind to. You don't need my help." You reply, "Thank you, but no. I’m auditioning next month for the love interest of a new movie they’re making, but I’ve never been in a relationship… Can you tell me what it’s like?" Emma asks, "You've never been in a relationship?" You answer, "No, I mean I've made out with plenty of people at parties and been on a couple of dates. But, I just thought of it as something fun that happened for a day or a night. None of them felt long-term." Emma asks, "You say people, so you're into everyone?" You answer, "Yeah, I'm pansexual and like just about everybody, except for jerks." Emma laughs and says, "I can show you what it's like to be in a relationship, it’ll be easier.” You ask, "What do you mean?" Emma answers, "I mean, we take each other out on dates and we act like a couple. It'll be good for me too. I haven't dated a woman in a while and I already like you, so it'll be easy for me." You reply, "I like you too. I just don't want to ruin our friendship because we still work together, especially with the renewal for the next season." Emma replies, "Every great romantic relationship is based on a friendship." You reply, "Ok. So what do we do now?" Emma answers, "Now, we enjoy a nice meal together and maybe watch a movie then we see where the night takes us."

You spend the next month going on dates and you feel yourself starting to fall for Emma.

You're watching TV when you hear someone knock at your door. You open the door to see Emma standing with roses and dressed very sexily. Emma exclaims, "They’re offering a free bottle of wine to couples on Valentine’s Day. I made us reservations for 2 hours from now. Get dressed. We need to leave in 30 minutes to make it." You nod and Emma follows you to the bedroom. You show Emma outfit options and they decide on the outfit that matches theirs.

You arrive at a restaurant that overlooks the valley and its sunset. How did Emma score this prime space on Valentine's Day? OMG! The waiter walks up and exclaims, "Welcome lovely couple. We're running a special promotion for those who booked a month ago to receive a free bottle of Chardonnay wine to thank you for booking early. May I pour you both a glass?" A MONTH AGO?!?! You nod and Emma answers, "Yes for both of us, thank you." The waiter tells you the special menu and then they bring out the appetizer.

Emma asks, "Hey Y/N, you went silent when we got here. What's going on in that pretty brain of yours?" You answer, "Um first off, the location is beautiful and this is so perfect at sunset. And second, the waiter said you booked a month ago. Did you mean to take me here or did you mean to take someone else? I'm so sorry if you couldn't bring who you wanted to this because it's truly spectacular." Emma places their hand on yours before saying, "I like this spot too. I came here once with my parents, but we didn't get to sit by the window... I made the reservation right after you asked me to date you to help you with your role. I knew this holiday would fall within the month, so I knew you had to experience Valentine's Day as my girlfriend... I did want to bring you here. I don't want to be here with anyone else." You reply, "Ok uh cool. Thanks then." Emma nods and smiles.

Emma drops you home after your dinner and you go back to study your lines for your audition. It's tomorrow.

Emma drives you to your audition because you're way too nervous to drive right now. Emma tells you that they'll be at the coffee shop across the street until you're done.

You wait your turn for your audition and it comes pretty quickly. You walk in, deliver your dialogue, and then they ask you to read with one of your character's prospective love interests. So you do. You think it went well.

Emma takes you out to eat afterward and then you decide to go back to your place where you both spend some time in bed.

You keep dating... you start to fall even more in love with Emma. More days and weeks pass...

You're sitting eating lunch at Emma's place when you get a call from your agent, which you answer and you get the role of the love interest.

You stand up and start jumping around. Emma asks, "What is this about?" You put your hands on either side of Emma's head and exclaim, "I did it! I got the role of the love interest! You helped me get the role! Thank you!" Emma asks, "So we're done dating now, is that it? It was all just for the audition?" You move your hands to Emma's and answer, "No no no. I don't want to stop dating you. I want to keep being your girlfriend who is falling madly and deeply in love with you, Emma D'Arcy." Emma smiles and asks, "Are you being serious?" You answer, "I've been falling for weeks. You're everything I could have ever dreamed of as a partner." Emma kisses your cheek and says, "I'm falling ... what did you say? Oh yeah, I'm falling madly and deeply in love with you, Y/N." You smile and you both kiss.

More Emma D'Arcy fanfic - here

#emma d'arcy x reader #emma d'arcy #house of the dragon alicent #house of the dragon #house of the dragon x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #hotd #rhaenyra targaryen

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sokuly419 · 13 days ago

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I have so many thoughts and feelings about act 1 of Arcane season 2. I don’t think I could even put them into coherent sentences right now. A few things that I can are:

— I’ve said this on a couple reblogs but I can’t shake the thoughts about it. When Cait finally lets herself break in front of Vi, I noticed Vi almost hesitate. It looks like she takes a small step back before leaning forward to catch Cait. Once she does, she doesn’t seem to hug back right away, hands closed into fists. Even when she does, her hands are still closed. When Cait slides her arms down Vi’s back is when Vi finally opens her hands. I have a feeling it means something (aside from the dropping of her guard) and we might get a parallel to it.

— Speaking of Vi dropping her guard, she does it a lot around Cait in act 1. After their kiss, the gauntlets come off. Before the uh… super heartbreaking breakup, the gauntlets come off. She completely lowered her guard before talking to Cait (who was still armed) which almost makes it worse.

— Vi already drinking a lot.

— Completely unrelated to the show itself… Maddie’s voice actress is the same one who voices the companion Cait in Fallout 4. Kinda found that funny but also a touch irritated with myself for not noticing seeing as Cait is my favorite companion (outside of Dogmeat, of course). Like I should have noticed from the lines “I have to ask…” and “… a heart like yours.” Like… she says it damn near the exact same way in the game. So that makes 2 people in Arcane related to Fallout in some way. Ella Purnell (Jinx) being the other. She plays Lucy in the show. Just a neat little bit of trivia for the Fallout fans.

— Cait, darling, I love you but you’re making it awfully hard to keep defending you. Knock it off and go get your girl back. You better have a damn good apology.

— Jinx was so unbothered for most of act 1 and I am so here for it. Especially with Sevika’s new arm.

— I see a lot of people going on about Maddie. Her vibe is all off to me. Not related to any of the leaks either (sigh). Just… nah. I dunno what it is.

— Can we also talk about the blue guy on the strike team? Come on. He’s cool and doesn’t even say a word. I want to know more about him. He has a good vibe about him… for now at least.

— Cait’s cape is cool looking.

— Heimerdinger was so unbothered. Absolutely love it. Funny lil guy.

— Viktor is Jesus?? Alrighty then.

— Mel got kidnapped?

— Ambessa needs to kindly fuck off and leave Cait alone.

—Jayce needs to not touch things sometimes. I swear. Had to go fuck around with magic at the worst time while our girls were in the middle of a fucking battle.

There’s so much more bouncing around my head but can’t quite put into words yet. I’m sure I’ll get there and have even more to say once act 2 destroys us further. Until then, let’s just focus on that kiss and not what happened after…

#arcane #arcane season 2 #caitlyn kiramman #vi arcane #caitvi #arcane s2 #jinx arcane

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lunawings · 9 months ago

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While I was in Japan during March 2024, I was able to visit the Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live 10th Anniversary Exhibit. This is my favorite anime of all time, so it was an incredible honor.

Unfortunately, you could not take pictures in many areas and I always try my best to be respectful and follow the rules. So, I will describe it.

The walls of the first room were covered in several tapestries depicting each individual episode of the anime, so you could reminisce about everything that happened as you slowly walked through the room. In the middle of the room, there were several exhibits perfectly recreating every single paper, notebook, sketch...

Hokkaido itinerary? Wakana and Bell's test scores? Momo's Happy Rain costume sketches? Naru and Bell's manager applications? The score to pride? Any piece of paper you can think of that appeared in PRRL, it was all HERE! Recreated with meticulous accuracy...

The next room was the photo room where you could take pictures in Prism Stone or in front of Rinne's feathers.

Something else they had here which was really neat, was all of these mini photo ops of various scenes from the anime that you could put your plushies or figures into! As I rarely have someone with me to take photos of myself at events like this, and I rarely post them even when I do, NGL I loved it. I wish I had brought something! I did have a PAF Naru on my bag I could have used, but it would have taken time to unpin her so unfortunetly I did not.

The next room contained an exhibit of various merch from throughout the years.

Unfortunately, there wasn't really much merch to look at in the classic section. Just the guitars, some stones, and the Smart Pod Shot. But I definitely think there was more than that back in the day! There has to have been because I own at least one thing that was not in here (a pool bag) haha!

They also had a REAL prism guitar on display, which apparently they are actually going to sell at some point!?

The last part of the exhibit before going to the gift shop, was a hallway with messages from all the voice actresses and the director. This was also a zone where photos were banned, but I remember in the director's he acknowledged Rainbow Live as being the only Pretty Rhythm season to achieve a 10th anniversary celebration and ended his commentary with "Glorious Pretty Rhythm" hahaha. Next was the gift shop...

Which was honestly super disappointing... I was prepared to spend a lot of money here, but in the end, I barely bought anything. Everything, EVERYTHING good was blind and the stuff that wasn't was just so expensive.

Like, they had this set of Hiro cards with his magazine covers and debut poster and I really wanted them but when I actually saw them it was like... 2,000 yen? FOR THREE CARDS!? Those tiny little cards you can see up there below the keychains?

????????????

Am I missing something!?

In the end I bought two Wakana boards and two clear files. And the one blind thing I couldn't resist was the Prism Stone badges... which turned out to be Otoha x2 and one Ann. Gah.

I also might have bought a Wakana plush doll, but she was sold out. Out of all the Rainbow Live girls she was the only one sold out both here and at Tokyo Station Prism Stone.

And here were the bonuses I got. Including, yes, the AiPri card. So for people who saw me posting it over on @pretty-idol-hell, this was where it came from.

I also got a very special letter, which I am saving to translate at a later date...

Outside the event was an up and running Pretty Rhythm machine, or so I thought. Wow, no line! I said to myself as I happily bounced up to it only to find the coin slot taped over and a sign reading it could not be used. Darn. (I know there's no prism stones left in the wild, but come on, there's no free play mode...? Well, I guess even if there was they wouldn't want people loitering around the exhibition.)

Anyway, as you read I did have a few complaints, but it still makes my heart happy that this event existed at all. I loved all the time and effort that went into making all the recreations of things!

#pretty rhythm #prrl #pretty rhythm rainbow live

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mysticcollectionbee · 11 days ago

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My Thoughts on The Playbill Character Bios (Part 2):

Overlord and others Time!

-Carmilla Carmine: Most decorated? Do Overlords get awards or is just she gets awards and happens to be an Overlord too? Either way, good for her. Also I was wrong, she isn't the defacto leader when it comes to Overlord meetings there's an actual Board of Overlords and she's the host for them. I NEED more info on how that works. Also made me feel even worse for Pentious, you got a former boss that could easily get you to be considered an Overlord but she decides not to.

-Rosie: Hahahaha, I'm genuinely gonna be kinda pissed if that stupid leak turns out real! I love how much of a saleswoman she is and the cute reference to one of the songs that was inspiration to her character creation (Vivziepop said she was inspired by 'Hello Dolly!' And made some old drawings with her next to lyrics of 'Hello Dolly!' songs. The song referenced here is probably, 'Just Leave Everything To Me').

-Sera: Is it bad the only thing that grabbed my attention about her is the hint of another character existing? I thought SHE was the Speaker of God. If not that does make me curious about a thing (it probably won't happen but it is a neat concept I can use for fanfics and headcanons until proven false).

-Mimzy: I love Mimzy and don't doubt she's talented...But I think she was a background actress or dancer or something because her need for attention (and troublemaking AND attitude) probably makes people not want to work too much with her. Even in comparison with other divas at the time. Though, it is impressive she owns her own business despite it all! I'm curious if that Radio special was either made specifically for Mimzy as a gift or if Alastor was making a radio special when he was alive, needed a singer, happened to know Mimzy a bit from the club, and they became closer while working on it. I also agree, she needs to be in more future episodes!

-Vox: My lord...This man and Alastor are both so egotistical, no wonder they're in the entertainment industry. And again, people with power don't constantly repeat that they're the most powerful (Not just Alastor but Zestial could also probably beat him). Surprised by the actor part, but it makes sense if his Pitch Bible backstory is still accurate: A lot of cult leaders began their insanity when they failed as entertainers (specifically acting or singing).

-Valentino: When it says "Shooting up the night" does it mean that in like a literal way (He likes shooting people), in a drug way, or in a filming way? All of the above, maybe?? Interesting, that he lazily adds Vox too. Maybe he's being sassy but you'd think he would do that with Velvette not the guy he depends on for equipment for his job.

Velvette: I love that it looks like a Twitter or Insta bio. Curious if she actually uses 'spells' or if it's just a sales tactic. Either way, she's still my favorite Vee.

[Longest one this time was Mimzy I think, which is fitting. Emily's my favorite angel but her bio is just a repeat of what we already knew about her.]

#hazbin hotel #playbill #first thoughts #mimzy #hh #Vox #hazbin velvette #valentino #the vees #carmilla carmine #rosie #sera

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azsazz · 1 year ago

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Maybe it’s just my experience but the bat boys can’t be good at sex EVERYTIME (they probs can)… but thoughts on any of the bat boys reactions to finding out you faked an orgasm 🤓?

Caught me in a feral mood now did ya?

Rhysand:

“I know you faked it,” he growls, pinning you to the bed with his hips. His hot length sits throbbing between your bare cheeks, and you can feel every taut muscle of his body as he holds you to the mattress with it, rippling with fury.

“Wha–?” you slur, breathless as the weight of him presses the air from your body. Your messy hair falls into your eyes as you lift your head from the pillow, blinking through your sleepy haze as your mate wakes you roughly. “I didn’t–”

“Don’t think that you can lie to me, darling.” His voice is everywhere, bouncing from the darkness as it echoes its Lord, vibrating through your chest and ears and head. Oh Gods, he’s in your head.

Your cunt clenches in response, the smell of your arousal sweet in the air. You smell like a fucking dream, Rhys thinks, dipping down to nip at the shell of your ear. You try to writhe beneath him but it’s no use, he’s too heavy and the movement only makes him press himself further into you, shifting, his cock slipping between the wetness of your thighs.

“You want it?” He asks roughly, hand sliding around your neck to lift your head as he presses the tip of his cock right into your wet heat, always ready for him to take.

“Yes,” you gasp, fingers curling in the sheets on either side of your pillow, body reacting in every way to him.

“You going to cum this time?” he asks, thumb trailing across the smooth skin of your throat. He feels it when you swallow the emotion threatening to bubble from your chest.

“Please, Rhys, I need–”

“Yes. Or. No.” He demands, dipping the tip of his cock into your cunt, coating himself in your arousal. You clench immediately but he’s already gone and you cry out.

“Yes,” you shout, body vibrating with the need for him.

He leans down, whispering in your ear as he shoves his cock fully into you, reveling in the way you feel around him. “That’s my girl.”

Azriel:

“Fake another orgasm again,” Azriel threatens, removing himself from between your shaking legs for a breath. His mouth glitters with your cum. “I dare you.”

You knew you wouldn’t be able to hide it from him or even fake your way through your orgasm, you’re no actress. Azriel’s eyes had darkened immensely when he’d figured it out. It was easy, your moans weren’t as frequent and high-pitched, fingers weren’t clawing into his skin like you might pass away from the pleasure he was giving you.

Instead of a verbal reprimand he’d planted himself between your thighs, where his cum was still leaking from your cunt. It was the gleam in his eyes that gave it away, the little smirk on his lips and the way he let his wings droop across the floor as he put all of his attention into eating your cunt.

That had been four orgasms ago and as much as you’re regretting keeping it from him, your loved on and abused cunt screams with both pleasure and begging for the delightful feelings to end.

“Az,” you plead, trying to grab for his hair as he ducks down again, but the shadows wrapped around your wrists don’t give an inch. A neat little trick your mate usually saved for the prisoners in his cells, not the lovely female who’d thought she could get away with faking her orgasm.

His hot breath fans across your cunt and it makes you whimper and hips jerk as he pauses.

“Yes?” he asks against your cunt. His lips are soft against your folds, tongue flicking out to drag across your clit in an agonizing swipe.

“I won’t,” you cry, chest heaving as his shadows snake up your body, pinching at your pert nipples and brushing the sticky hair from your brow. Your head is heavy as you lift it to meet his gaze, eyes wild with desperation as you take him in. “I promise. I’ll never fake an orgasm again. Please.”

His lips curl in a wicked smirk, thumbs massaging the quivering muscles of your thighs. He sighs, satisfied with your answer.

“Better not, love,” he purrs and tears leak from the corners of your eyes because you know he’s nowhere near done with you yet. “But that doesn’t mean I’m done with you yet.”

Cassian:

“Take it from me,” he settles back against the headboard, watching you with a heated gaze. He tugs on his cock and you lick your lips at the bead of precum sitting prettily at the tip. You want to crawl over to him on your hands and knees and taste it.

“What?” you respond distractedly. You can’t look away from him, his body covered in a light sheen of sweat, tattooed thighs splayed thick and long down the bed. His abdominals flex and he hisses through clenched teeth at the look on your face, he only strokes his cock faster. “You didn’t cum,” he states, and you feel your cheeks pinking up in embarrassment. The rush of emotion is mirrored in your cunt, arousal churning your gut as you watch Cassian, head tipping back and pink lips parting with a moan that makes your knees shake as he does something delicious with his hand. When he forces his gaze back to you, it’s through lowered lids, the hazel of his eyes a thin ring around his exploding pupils. “So, I want you to come over here and take it.”

#rhysand #azriel #cassian #smut #azsazz headcanon #ask azsazz #azsazz drabbles

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cowgurrrl · 1 year ago

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The Chain

Pairing: rockstar!joel x actress!reader

Author’s note: I swear on my life they will get a happy ending eventually

Summary: “I hope you get everything you’ve ever wanted and I hope I never hear a thing about it.” - Audrey Emmett [2.6k]

Warnings: brief mentions of poor mental health, vague allusions to substance abuse issues, nostalgia, we’re burning bridges and working through the stages of grief

"No Joel tonight?" Alexa asks as she swipes blush across your cheeks. You freeze and pick at your cuticles as you think.

The premiere for Red Dirt Girl is finally here, and people will be able to see everything you did and judge it. It's terrifying, exciting, and uncertain, and it turns out that adding a breakup to that mix is not good for your mental health. Getting ready to film for Beginning of the End and leaving for Ireland has been a great distraction as you organize your life into neat little boxes that travel easily. You've poured yourself over the script, looking into dramaturgy and creating a movie Bible to access during shooting. It's not unlike anything you've done for any other project, but this one feels especially important. You've ignored Joel's texts and calls the past week except to tell him to leave you alone, which he did.

"No, he's gonna meet me there," you tell Alexa with a soft practiced smile, and she nods. "What time is it?"

"Six forty-five," Jenna answers from behind you, and you take a deep breath. "You nervous?"

"Yeah, but it's all good. I'm excited for people to see the movie."

"I've been hearing really good things from reviewers."

"Really?" You ask, and they both nod.

"Heard it was one of your most powerful performances to date," Alexa says as she hands you a brilliant red lipstick, and you anxiously turn the tube over in your hands. It's silent as you slide the color over your lips, power, and confidence taking over as you take in the full look for the first time. True to the name of the movie, you and your castmates decided to wear red. When you told this to your stylist, she was thrilled and said she knew exactly what she wanted to put you in— an off-the-shoulder red dress with a lower neckline (á la Pretty Woman) with a slit in the long skirt. It's pretty simple, but when you added the jewelry, hair, makeup, and shoes, it became a beautiful mix of elegant and sexy. "Joel is gonna freak the fuck out when he sees you."

You know she's trying to hype you up and get you excited for the premiere. You know she's trying to be nice, but the idea of seeing him makes your stomach churn. You nod and pocket the tube of lipstick before standing. You thank them both for helping you get ready but don't say much else as you get escorted out of the hotel room and down to the car waiting for you. Based on the number of people outside the red carpet, half of LA seems to either be getting to the premiere or already at the event. It's insane to see that many people there for something you helped make.

Cameras flash the second you step out of the car, and people scream your name. Fans are lined up on either side of the first stretch of carpet when you get to the theatre. You smile and take the time to greet, take pictures, and sign autographs for different people waiting on each side. It's always fun to hear what fans say to you when they get the chance, and every once in a while, you'll have an experience that just truly shocks you. As you take a picture with a twenty-something girl, she rolls up her sleeve and shows you a beautiful tattoo. At first, you're too absorbed in the linework on the flowers, but once you look closer, you see that the flowers surround a line from one of your first major projects, "On Purpose."

You cup your hand over your mouth as you look closer at the ink forever etched into her skin. It was such a quick line. You weren't even sure if it would stick with people like it stuck with you. Your character, Margot, said it when she explained why she loved her husband when he was depressed and feeling like a shitty person. "I love you on purpose," she said. You have to swallow around the lump in your throat to keep yourself from crying as you hug the young woman tightly. Quietly, she tells you what it means to her and why that movie stuck with her so much, and you rub her back as she cries. Despite the cameras flashing and the hundreds of people vying for your attention, you can only focus on her and this interaction. This is why I do what I do, you think.

Once you find the strength to walk away and go to the actual carpet, you ask one of the interns to give two tickets for the premiere to that girl and her friend and smile from afar as you watch them get the news. You blow them a kiss and wave one last time before being shuffled away by one of the bodyguards. When you get to wherever you're supposed to be, you see Joel waiting for you. He's wearing a nicely tailored suit with red flowers embroidered over his chest and shoulders with black shoes. He smiles, and you let him kiss you on the cheek to keep up with appearances, suddenly hyper-aware of the five million cameras pointed in your direction.

"You look beautiful." He says.

"Thanks." You mumble. It's the most you've spoken since you had that massive argument at his house. He wants to say more. You can tell he does. You can hear the fucking gears turning in his head he's thinking so loud. But you don't want to listen to any of it. You're here because you legally have to, and you're not going to miss your own movie premiere. He says your name at the same time someone with an earpiece comes up to tell you it's your turn to walk the carpet. You don't even look at him before walking out to the wolves, him trailing closely behind you.

You take a lot of solo shots, feeling in your moment as you spin and show off the look. However, the second your castmates spot you on the carpet, they rush over to kiss your cheeks, hug you, and take so many stupid photos. Some with Lilly and you back to back like Charlie's Angels, or some with Peter bowing down to you. At one point, Max, the guy who plays your dad, picked you up and spun you around like a baby. Once everyone has gotten through their unhinged behavior, you manage to take some nice full-cast pictures with Lilly right next to you and her hand in yours. It's all fun and lovely until you have to take pictures with Joel. Of course, everyone wants pictures of you being completely in love— kisses on the cheek, forehead, lips. Hold her hand, Joel! No, not like that! Look at him like you love him! Aw! It's exhausting.

When you get toward the end of the carpet, you do interviews with different reporters and answer questions about what you hope people take away from the movie, your favorite memories from set, and more. One reporter gestures to Joel behind you and smiles as she asks, "It must be really nice to have someone like Joel to support you through all this craziness. How have things been with you two? You seem to be everyone's favorite couple right now." You laugh and look back at Joel, who raises his eyebrows at you. You hold your hand out, and he takes it as he joins your interview, much to the reporter's excitement.

"He's pretty great. I mean, look at his matching flowers. Are we kidding?" You gush as you point at the delicate embroidery on his suit, resting your hand on his chest.

"They are pretty amazing! Everyone was talking about you guys coordinating. I think someone even called you a power couple."

"Well, I don't know about that, but we're definitely very happy. I think he's navigating the actress thing pretty well." You say, and he laughs. The interviewer thanks you both and sends you on your way. The second you two enter the theatre, Joel grabs your arm and pulls you to the side where you're out of earshot of other people.

"Can we talk?" He asks as you rip your arm away from him.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Then, can I talk, and you listen?" He asks. You roll your eyes and shake your head. You should say no. You should push past him and go to sit down without saying another word, but for some stupid reason, you stay quiet. He takes a deep breath and grinds his teeth nervously. "I'm sorry. I should've told you Sarah was in contact with Angela. I was scared you would get freaked out or think I didn't wanna be with you because I did. I still do. But, I swear, I didn't know she was gonna be there that night. Sarah invited her without tellin' me, and I..." he sighs. "I thought she was dead. She'd been sick for so long, and I hadn't heard anythin' for years. So, when I saw her... I don't know. It fucked with my head, and that's not an excuse."

"No, it's not," you say. "I want Sarah to have everything she's ever wanted, and if that includes a relationship with her mom, then I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with is you lying to me or arguing with me about work when I've never once made a big deal about your job."

"You're right, and I'm so sorry."

"I trusted you, Joel. More than I've ever trusted a partner, and you broke that."

"I know," he says simply. "I can't change what happened, but I wanna try to earn your trust again."

"I don't have time to start over."

"We can find time."

"When? You'll release your album and go on tour, and I'll go back to work. Plus, you've gotta figure out this whole co-parenting situation now." You say, and he nods.

"We'll figure it out. We found time before, right? You came to the studio, and I went to set. We can do that again."

"We had time because my schedule for the past few months has literally been created around yours."

"Then, I’ll create my schedule around yours. I'll plan dates and trips. We can fix this. Just-"

"Pike offered me a role. A big one, and I took it. I'm shooting in Ireland for at least six months in three weeks." You cut him off, the words spilling out of you.

"What?" He asks, and you shrug.

"This could be huge for me. I read the script. It's amazing. It's the best script I've read in a long time, and he's not directing. I don't even think he'll be on set a majority of the time but-"

"Do you even hear yourself? When he pulled that shit a couple months ago, you were scared out of your fucking mind!" He raises his voice, and you grab him and press the two of you further into the corner you're hidden in.

"I had it handled." You mutter, and he scoffs.

"That's what you call handling it?"

"Yes. Not everyone can go around punching photographers and yelling at their managers when something goes wrong!" You snap.

"Really?" He asks, visibly shrinking as he takes in what you just said. You smooth your hands down your dress and glance around to see if anybody heard you. You bite the inside of your cheek and look at him, but he's looking at his feet.

"This is the chance I've been working my whole fucking life for, and I'm not going to let it pass me by because of one shitty guy. I want to make beautiful art and bring this character to life. I want to do the work. I want a fucking legacy," you say. He refuses to look at you, and you let out a sharp exhale. "I want to be great or nothing, and I'm sorry if you can't handle that."

For one long, painful minute, neither of you says anything. You stand there, shifting your weight anxiously while waiting for him to say something. There's nothing he can say that would make you change your mind. You decided that way before tonight, but this, the silence, hurts more than you thought. How was there once a time when you two talked so much that you fell asleep on the phone? Those people seem so far away, so stupid, compared to the people you are now.

"I guess you were right. I guess there's nowhere for us to go after this."

"No, there's not," you say. "I'm sorry." He nods and doesn't say anything as he steps closer. You get a whiff of his cologne when he leans down to kiss your cheek, lingering for a second before pulling away.

"D'you want me to stay?" He asks, and both its meanings slap you in the face. He asked you the same thing the first time he laid next to you after the car accident, more than ready to give up his bed to you. You looked at him through the darkness and nodded before letting him hold you until you fell asleep. He asked you the same thing when you were doing dishes while on FaceTime with him. You looked at him through the hundreds of miles separating you and nodded as you scrubbed a plate clean. But this time is different. This time you take a shaky breath and push his hair out of his eyes so you can see through the curls.

"No." You say. He doesn't fight you. He just takes a step back and looks over your dress like it's the first time he's seeing you. His brown eyes move over you, making you suddenly self-conscious, but you straighten your posture and square your shoulders to hide it. He smiles half-heartedly, and you know he knows why you did that.

"Have a good night, pretty girl." He says before turning away from you and walking toward the back doors of the theatre to leave without the press seeing him. You watch him disappear. If this were a movie, you would cry or chase after him. Run through an airport to catch him before he gets on his flight. If this were a movie, you'd tell him you love him. He'd say it back, and you'd kiss like all the problems that led to the third-act breakup are suddenly solved. If this were a movie, you'd quit your job to move in with him and paint baby nurseries and spend the rest of your life bending around his.

Fuck that.

"Hey, the movie's about to start," Lilly gets your attention, and you look at her. She smiles and holds her hand out to you. "Sit with me?" She asks, and you smile back. You walk over and slide your arm around her shoulders to pull her close and kiss her temple.

"Of course." You say. Then, without much fuss, she interlocks your fingers, and you two walk into the dim theatre, knowing you've earned your seats and then some.

#one for the money two for the show #the last of us #joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel tlou #the last of us x reader #joel miller fic #joel miller the last of us #the last of us au #tlou au #pedro pascal #rockstar!joel miller

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razorblade180 · 1 year ago

Text

Names

Furina:Aether, we need to have a very important conversation. Promise you’ll take this seriously.

Aether:….I know we’re both over 500 but I’m not in the mindset of a family besides finding my sister.

Furina:Not the conversation I wanted in the slightest! I just gained my freedom in case you forgot. I just wanted to discuss cute little names for one another.

Aether:*scrunches face*

Furina:What!? Why that face!?

Aether:Never really was a fun of that sort of thing.

Furina:Said the man who accepts titles like they’re going on sale.

Aether:You know…

Furina:I’m not calling you “Executioner”

Aether:Then what’s the point of any of this!? It’s so cool.

Furina:I told you to be serious!

Aether:May I ask what brought this on?

Furina:*red* I just…think they’re neat. It’s only natural that people who are close to one another to give names that show the affection.

Aether:….

Furina:Is this you silently judging me?

Aether:No I’m just fighting tooth decay. Your answer was unexpectedly sweet. Still, I’m not really good at these sort of things.

Furina:That’s because you’re an overthinking. Surely you’ve known me long enough to have something to describe my magnificence.

Aether:Furina if I’m being honest, if I had to compare you to anything it would either be those floppy ear bunnies that get angry sometimes, or an emotional kitten.

Furina:Please never say that second one again.

Aether:What’s wrong with kit- okay I see. Told you I suck at this! Why don’t you just go force and tell me what you have in mind.

Furina:…

Aether:You haven’t the slightest idea.

Furina:I thought maybe we could workshop or something!? Cut me some slack. I typically shorten names but yours feels weird. Plus that would be boring.

Aether:We’ll what do you typically want to call me?

Furina: What, besides “mine?”

Aether:….

Aether:You’re going to make kitten stick if you keep talking like that.

Furina:*red* Nooooo! Focus Aether! We don’t have to commit to anything right now. Just spitball.

Aether:Despite the fact you constantly smell like a pastry mixed with rose water, I’m not about to call you a long winded dessert or something as dull as cupcake.

Furina:First of all, my shampoo is daisies and not rose water. Second, I appreciate you noticed I smell nice. Third, cupcake is wonderful but taken by Clorinde.

Aether:Who calls her cupcake?

Furina:I’ve…said to much. Dismiss that from your memory.

Aether:…Tweetie. I like your singing. You’re like a free songbird.

Furina:That’s not a bad attempt.

Aether:It’s funny how nicely you said that while obviously rejecting that.

Furina:*smiles* I am a woman of many talents. We should probably call it here. No need to force these things. I only wanted to bring attention to it. Rest assured that I will put the utmost care in whatever my heart chooses.

Aether:Seriously, it could just be my name.

Furina:Awww, is someone embarrassed about this sorta thing? You are surprisingly introverted despite all of your achievements.

Aether:You’re one to talk.

Furina:Hehe, true enough. *hugs him* I suppose “Aether” is as glorious as any other name. I’ll admit that I personally enjoy how it sounds.

Aether:*flustered* I swear, where do you get your energy?

[Sometime later]

Navia:Have anything planned after this?

Furina:Not really. I should probably run through some lines after this tea party but I don’t actually feel up to it. Maybe a nap or-

Aether:*walks by*

Navia:Oh! Hi Aether!

Aether:*turns head* Hmm? Oh hi Navia. *looks at Furina*…..

Furina:??? What’s with the silent gaze? Is there something on my face?

Aether:*red* N-No. I was surprised to see you is all, Sugar Cube.

If a ghost were to sneeze right now, everyone would hear it. Navia’s eyes widened as she let out the smallest of gasps and saw Furina’s mind come to a screeching halt while her face became every color of red. The actress slowly put down her tea, stood up, and dragged Aether by the hand around the corner.

Furina:I’ll be right back Navia.

Navia:(Where is Clorinde and Charlotte when I need them!? I have to talk about this with someone!)

Aether:W-Was that bad?

Furina:*grabs scarf* No no no. It was simple, realistic even. Not to mention cute. However… you were absolutely right about the embarrassment. I don’t think my soul can handle that! Just call me Furina.

Aether:I wanted to do that from the start! I said that in front of people!

Furina:I’m sorry!! I thought I was strong about this but I was horribly wrong!!!!

#genshin impact #gi aether #gi furina #aerina #furina x aether #she tells him to say it in private

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hotvintagepoll · 9 months ago

Text

Propaganda

Barbara Stanwyck (Ball of Fire, The Lady Eve, Double Indemnity)—I hope someone else has submitted better propaganda than I because I don't want my girl's prospects to rest on me just yelling PLEASE VOTE FOR MY TERRIBLE HOT GIRLFRIEND. She is a delight in everything! She is often a sexy jerk! (It's most of the plot of Baby Face!) Even when she plays a "good girl" (as an example, Christmas in Connecticut, which more people should see) she's still kind of a jerk and I love her for it! She won't take men's shit and she sure wouldn't take mine!

Mae Clarke (The Public Enemy, Frankenstein)—she was in frankenstein. which i think is neat

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Mae Clarke propaganda:

Barbara Stanwyck propaganda:

"THE queen of screwball comedies. I adore her, I'd kill for her, I will cry if she's not gonna win this poll."

"listen ok she had awful politics she was a mccarthyist right wing wacko BUT she's so incredibly hot that i've deluded myself into believing i could fix her. if you see her onscreen she carries herself in a way that's just so effortlessly sexy AND she has just a stunning face. imo she was at her hottest in the 1940s but even as early as the late 1920s she had a rly captivating screen presence and just a beautiful face, and then post-1950 she was just irresistibly milfy so really she was just always incredibly hot. she was also an incredibly talented actress who was equally stellar in melodrama, film noir, and unhinged screwball comedy. the blonde wig they made her wear in double indemnity is notoriously silly looking but she still looks sexy in it so that's gotta count for something. i've watched so many terrible movies just for a chance at seeing her that i think her estate should be paying me damages."

"Not often thought of for her sultriness, Barbara Stanwyck was incredible in that she could actually choose to be hot if the role called for it, and then have a glow-down to look ordinary for another role. She wasn't the most beautiful or effervescent, but damn did she have rizz. Watch her with Gary Cooper in Ball of Fire teaching him about "yum-yum" or with Henry Fonda in The Lady Eve whispering huskily into his ear."

youtube

"THE leading lady of the golden age of hollywood. One of the only actresses to work independent of a studio, making short-term contracts that enabled her to make movies wherever she wanted. She had so much range, and could act in basically any genre. She's been rumored to be a lesbian literally since she was active in Hollywood; most notable is the rumor that she had a long time on-and-off relationship with famously bi Joan Crawford, her "best friend" for decades (They lived right next door to one another). She also lived with Helen Ferguson, her "live-in publicist" for many years. She was the quintessential femme fatale in Double Indemnity, and really pushed sexual boundaries in her pre-code films like Baby Face, and the famous screwball The Lady Eve, where she plays basically a downlow domme. Allegedly, when a journalist asked her if she was a lesbian, she straight up threw him out of her house. She even played a lesbian in Walk on the Wild Side"

"She is always the smartest woman in the room. Watching her play Henry Fonda like a befuddled fiddle in The Lady Eve was a highlight of my life. Femme fatale in Double Indemnity, comedy queen in Ball of Fire. She can do anything."

"She was part of my gay awakening"

"SHE'S A PRE-CODE QUEEN. She did everything, drama, comedy. The most beautiful woman in the world to watch weep. Beg for to step on you with those legs. Fun Babs story: Ginger Rogers was offered the role in Ball of Fire but said, “Oh, I would never play that part, she’s too common.” So they called Barbara Stanwyck and they said “We offered this to Ginger Rogers but she’s turned it down, would you be interested?” And she read the script and she said; “You bet! I LOVE playing common broads.” (Source: https://misstanwyck.tumblr.com/post/72996544180/barbara-stanwyck-photographed-for-ball-of-fire)"

#mae clarke #barbara stanwyck #hotvintagepoll #ladies 1 #fuck that old woman #Youtube

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witchywithwhiskey · 7 months ago

Note

On the AO3 post for the alpha next door you wrote that you'd mostly read omegaverse novels om KU. Do you have any recs??? 😄 always looking to expand my TBR!

oh my god there is nothing i love more than giving book recs!!! ok here we go:

Baby & the Late Night Howlers by Kathryn Moon was my very first omegaverse book. it's reverse harem + bikers, and the premise is basically that the female main character thinks she's a beta but finds out she's an omega by very suddenly going into heat while in a biker bar. i think it's a pretty good entry point.

Lola & the Millionaires Part One and Two by Kathryn Moon are the second and third novels in this Sweet Omegaverse series (which are all reverse harem), and they're about a beta who matches with a pack of millionaires who've found a male omega. this is a neat non-omega-focused duology.

Bad Alpha by Kathryn Moon (i swear not every book on this list will be by Kathryn Moon) is another book in this universe. its about a female alpha who forms a pack with a male omega and some male alphas. she's also an assassin who was sent to kill the male omega, but she mates with him instead. and she's very much a badass.

Faith & the Dead End Devils by Kathryn Moon is about the omega sister of the male omega from Bad Alpha. it has another biker pack but i think i liked it better than the first one. she's rescued by the bikers from like omega traders and it takes her some time to feel comfortable with the pack and i like stories like that. (also there's one scene where a beta uses his fist to replicate a knot and i....have never been the same 😳)

outside Kathryn Moon's Sweet Omegaverse series, i recently finished reading Devyn Sinclair's Slate City Omegaverse series and it's great—they're all reverse harem as well and take scent matching even further. Knot Your Damn Omega is about an omega whose twin sister is a famous actress and so she's struggled to meet alphas who truly want her for her, until she meets her scent matches in a pack of tattoo artists. Knot All That Glitters is about a politician's daughter who scent matches with her security guard and his pack. and Knot For A Moment is about a ballet dancer who scent matched with her best friend in college but left before he found out and then of course he joins her ballet company years later and learns she's his match. all of these are very very sweet but have a good amount of plot to balance the smut.

Dark City Omega by Elizabeth Stephens is the only non-reverse harem omegaverse book i'm rec'ing but it's just so so so so good—it has an enemies to lovers storyline that's chef's kiss. it's a bit on the darker side, and the world-building is more extensive than the other books, but it's fantastic.

i also devoured the first book of the Pack Darling duology by Lola Rock in like less than 24 hours, but it ends on a cliffhanger and i had to wait for the second book and it just didn't really live up to my expectations so that's a "maybe you could try it if you want" kind of rec.

anyway! those are the ones i'd rec. i've read others but they were only ok. if you've read any already, or if you do read any, let me know what you think!!

#molly answers asks #book recs #veltana

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edream93 · 4 months ago

Text

Thoughts on The Rise of Red

Okay, these are just my thoughts that I wrote down in my note app as I watched the movie.

SPOILERS if you haven't watched "Descendants: The Rise of Red" yet:

Uma crying talking about Carlos is definitely China crying for real. It’s definitely a plot inconsistency because as far as we know Uma and Carlos didn’t have any type of relationship outside of Mal but for China and the audience, I thought it was a touching nod to Cam.

Maybe it’s just me but I feel like over the past three movies we had gotten better with the wig situations and this movie felt like a bit of a step back for some of these wigs

The special effects in Red’s first song were pretty neat for a DCOM-adjacent movie

Maddox is kinda cute…This man is 44!?!?! 😍

Paolo Montalbano 😍 My first crush! Honestly he and Brandy and China are the only reason why I’m watching this.

Still not a total fan of Cinderella’s dress. It’s giving royal moo-moo

Brandy and Paolo are still cute together. Like not even in a romantic way but they are definitely co-actors that have great chemistry on screen together. Like it feels like they slipped back into their characters effortless.

I’m sorry Brandy but those shoes are ugly

OMG! Chad is their son!!! They really was like, the Prince Charming had a White dad and a Black mom so of course he and Cindy can have a White son 🤣

Is it me or are there already more songs in this movie than the previous?

Maybe it’s because it’s the only second song but I definitely expected that they would have given Rita and Brandy more to work with

I know Dylan and Thomas probably have grown out of working with Disney but I at least wish they gave a throw away line about where Harry and Gil are. Like we know at least where Mal and the others are and that Carlos apparently died. Idk, the lack of Harry’s line in Uma’s song made me miss them.

You know, for all of the fuss they made about the magic wand, the fact that the Queen of Hearts can easily cut it in half is funny to me

Is this Aladdin and Jasmin they keep cutting back to? I didn’t keep up with the movie production before it came out so maybe them being in this movie shouldn’t be surprising

“Now make me proud, for once,” is such a hard comment to hear from a parent.

Not Chloe’s wig changing randomly 🤣

The actress playing young Fairy G definitely looks like a younger actress of the original one. Good casting.

I feel like a lot of these songs are just sing talking. Like not really singing but just them talking and like I know they did that sometimes in the previous movies but it just feels…odd

….did Chloe’s wig change…again…???

It did….

Did both of their wigs change???

Honestly, I’m underwhelmed by the costumes. I know the same designer wasn’t on this movie but eh

Ella is like… “Mom? Who you calling mom?!??!” 🤣

I forgot that since this was before Auradon they probably would take classes about magic

Bridget’s and Red’s outfits are so far my faves

Jaladdin 🤣

“If you wanna roll together we can be a vibe” 🤣

…..Chloe’s hair changed again….Is this just her face hair or something because it’s not the hair she had in the previous scene

Morganna’s son!?!? Didn’t expect that. Again, I have been so far removed from keeping up-to-date about the production of this movie

Oh I forgot Maleficent and Hades were together at some point. Guess I just thought that was an Isle boredom fling thing

I love how this movie totally negates anything that has happened in the original movies, at least in terms of how they happened. I honestly like to think of the OG movies as royal propaganda 🤣

Okay so I think there’s three wigs that Chloe has had, a regular, a slightly more volumized one, and then what my friend calls the “chia pet” one 😅

Chloe…NO! 😫

Honestly, this portrayal of Cinderella is kinda my fave. She’s been through a lot

Okay, should have known the VK songs would be a bop

Maybe it’s just me but every time I see Hades in this, I think he looks like Chris Colfer

I feel like this movie has so many special effects which isn’t bad, it’s just interesting because I feel like big special effects were saved until the last half/battle

WIG CHANGE AGAIN!

Paolo acting his butt off to the pay the bills

Oooo that was too far Red…

Wig change

Yeah, this movie definitely has a lot more songs…😬

Also…why is her wig longer when they’re gardening?

Are there…are there FOUR wigs?!?!?!?!

Me snorting at the captions reading -hero music playing-

Morganna’s son is missing a few brain cells. Love him.

There’s 7 minutes left….what are they gonna do in 7 minutes!

Not the Queen of Heart’s hair blowing in the wind! 😊

I know it’s not that serious in this movie, but I wonder what’s the reasoning for Red never going to Auradon now that things have changed

I’m glad the Queen of Hearts is nice and all but there should definitely be a fanfic about how Red is trying to distinguish her old reality with her new. And no, it won’t be from me. I wipe my hands clean of this series. I mean it! I’m so serious! I totally don’t have any plot bunnies in my head now! Nope! None. At. All!

Wait! Uma! Are you implying there’s going to be some - GASPS- ramifications to the time traveling!?!?!?

Final thoughts:

Maybe it’s because I’m OFFICIALLY not part of the target demographic anymore but I kind of felt underwhelmed. Like the last three movies had things I wasn’t a fan of but there were at least songs, aspects, characters, that I was a fan of. Honestly, the only person I LOVED in this one was Maddox. If you liked this movie, that’s totally fine and I hope my thoughts don’t stop you from enjoying it. I hope you have all the head cannons and fanfic ideas and amazing energizing conversations with others in the fan. If they come up with more stuff with this series (which they probably will) I might tune in but I think this, plus that Pt.2 outline of WLTF that I still owe folks will probably be my last active contribution to this particular fandom.

Anyway, my faves of Descendants: The Rise of Red:

Uma, even if she was just serving the purpose of narrator/handing the torch from one generation to the next

The nod to Cameron

Brandy and Paolo. I LOVE them on screen together.

I actually really liked Ella and hope to see the actress, Morgan Dudley in more things

Maddox was cute but I honestly always seem to have a thing for movie/TV mad hatters (points to OUAT and the SyFy mini series Alice)

Things I’m “eh” about:

The WIGS!!!! And the costumes but the WIGS!!! Like, if this series continues they need to fix stat!

The songs were kinda forgettable. Uliana’s song at her hideout was kinda a bop and Red’s intro song is good too but everything else was kinda “bleh”

I also feel like we didn’t really get to know Red that well or maybe I was just too distracted by Chloe’s wig.

The plot and pacing. I mean, the OG Descendants movies weren’t perfect but I feel like they typically hit certain plot beats where, as much as you can with these type of movies, it feels like the stakes are high. I guess Merlin’s office being the scene of the last “battle” and then going back to their time just felt a little anti-climatic for me.

But anywho, those are my thoughts. If you don’t agree, that’s fine, just be polite, okay?

#Descendants: the rise of red #rise of red #descendants 4 #disney descents #edream93 speaks #just my thoughts #take them or leave them

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sergeantsporks · 5 months ago

Note

Writin Request: Gus & Hunter going to a convention!

“Alright, important things to remember before we go in.” Luz held out her arms to block Hunter and Gus. “Number one: If you see a panel or table labelled as ‘meet the voice of,’ then they are a voice actor. Do not be disappointed when they don’t look like the character, because they just lent their voice. Number two: if you go to a panel or table for a live action actor, please, please, please remember that they are ALSO not the character. They are just someone who was paid to pretend to be the character.”

Hunter rolled his eyes, pushing at her arms. “We know how acting works, Luz.”

“Yeah, I’ve been in school plays before, and I know I wasn’t actually a tree,” Gus scoffed, then side-eyed Hunter. “Wait, how do you know how actors work?”

“Okay, okay,” Luz conceded, “One more rule. This one is the most important one, don’t forget it.” She grabbed the fronts of Hunter and Gus’ costumes, looking them deep in the eyes. “Do not. Do not, do not, do not. Start comparing your cosplay to someone else’s. The saying ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ is never truer than at a con. If you see a nice cosplay, just think to yourself ‘wow that cosplay is so good!’ Do not start thinking ‘my cosplay is terrible compared to theirs.’ It will kill you. Do you understand me.”

“We understand,” Hunter and Gus chorused, and finally, Luz released them.

“Okay! Have fun! Check all the booths before you make any purchase decisions. You will go over budget, just accept this.”

“Are you adding more rules?” Gus asked.

Luz flapped a hand at them. “No, no, no, I’m done. Amity and I will meet you up at the front at noon, okay?”

“Okay,” they chorused, and finally, Luz was gone, disappearing with Amity towards the Azura actress autograph signing.

“Pfft,” Gus said once she was gone, elbowing Hunter, “Like anyone’s cosplay is going to be as good as ours anyway. You are actually a clone! What O’Bailey cosplayer can compare to that?”

“Yeah!” Hunter agreed, “And your headset? I mean, it lights up! Who else is going to have a costume that lights up?”

“Oh, hey—”

A hand closed on Hunter’s shoulder, and he grabbed it, reflexively flipping his unknown assailant over with a thump on her back. A freckled girl dressed in science officer blue frontier cosplay blinked up at the ceiling with a groan.

Hunter dropped her wrist. “Oh, no. No, no, no, I’m sorry, I—”

She wheezed in a laugh. “No—no, that was awesome.” She scrambled back to her feet. “Whew. Surprised me, but honestly? Points for the dedication to character! I should have known better than to sneak up on O’Bailey! He might be an engineer, but—”

“Duplicant battle protocol makes for one hell of a punch,” Hunter and Gus quoted with her. She lapsed into more giggles.

“Exactly.”

Hunter looked her up and down. He recognized the uniform, but she’d affixed a Duplicant communicator to her ear, and wore bracelets engraved with lettering he recognized from a one-off planet. “Who are you? I don’t recognize your character.”

“Oh—well, of course you don’t.” She twirled, revealing that her uniform flared out into a skirt at the end. “I’m my own original character! Shaari, the result of a Duplicant defying protocol and having a child with a Mergarave. I’m a double agent.” She winked. “But I won’t say for who.”

“That’s creative,” Gus told her warmly, “The Mergarave had such a neat design—it was a shame we left their planet so soon.”

Shaari—whatever her real name was—nodded emphatically. “I know, right? Anyway, I just wanted to say that I really like your cosplays. Are you going to enter the costume contest?”

“Costume contest?” Hunter and Gus echoed.

“Yeah, the Cosmic Frontier panel holds one every year, since it’s so difficult to get one of the actors in. On account of, you know. Most of them being either really famous or really dead. Anyway, they have a group category, and first prize is a signed box set of the original Cosmic Frontier trilogy. Mint condition. Original characters aren’t accepted in the group round. We have a separate category. But you two should totally sign up. I think you’ve got a real shot at winning. It was nice meeting you!”

She wandered off, jogging to join a friend wearing a Cosmic Frontier T-shirt, and Gus grabbed Hunter’s arms.

“Hunter. We have to win that box set. Camila will love it.”

“I know.” Hunter started towards the galaxy-themed banner he could see in the distance. “She said to bring her back a sticker or a pin or something—can you imagine if we come home with a mint-condition signed copy of the Cosmic Frontier original trilogy? We are going to win at comic-con.”

“Oh, yeah. Costume contest, here we come, baby!”

A bored-looking con employee waited at the Cosmic Frontier table, sign up sheets in front of him. “Original characters here, solo costumers here, and group costumes here,” he monotoned, gesturing to three different pieces of paper, “The competition is judged on both the quality of your costume and how well you portray your character. We’ve only got about ten more minutes until the morning competition starts, so please hurry.”

Hunter signed he and Gus’ names on the group competition list, and the employee jabbed one thumb at the door behind him. “Wait in there, you’ll be called in order.”

Hunter and Gus found themselves in a long hallway, covered with black tarp dotted with glow-in-the-dark stars. Just ahead of them, a much larger group of young adults laughed, elbowing each other.

“Try again,” one of them in a blue uniform encouraged.

“I’ll get it on stage!” their Captain Avery protested, “I just can’t take it seriously in practice with all you guys making faces at me.”

Hunter stopped, hissing in, and Gus bumped into him. “What? What’s the matter?”

“Maybe… maybe this wasn’t a good idea.”

“What?”

“I mean—I just—” Hunter gestured ahead of them. “Look! They’ve got the full bridge.”

“There wasn’t a rule on how many members you needed.”

“I know, but…” Hunter gulped. Even in the low light, he could see the quality of their costumes, and it made him painfully aware of the stitches still showing on his. “I mean… just look at them.”

As if to emphasize his point, their O’Bailey hit a switch on his headset, and the whole thing lit up with a whoosh, the red eye glowing dully in the dark. When he moved his arm, it clicked gently.

“They’ve got better costumes—they’ve got better gear—they’ve got the whole bridge—and they go up before us, Gus. We’re going to look ridiculous after them!”

“Well—hey—no. Remember what Luz said? Comparing costumes is not something you should do at cons.”

“Gus, we’ve just entered a costume contest. The entire point is that people will compare our costumes! We’ve entered a zone outside of Luz’s rules!” Hunter ran a hand through his hair. “I haven’t seen anyone come in after us, either! We’re going to go last, after these guys, and then there will be no one after us to make them forget how mediocre we were!”

Gus’ hand landed on his arm, giving it a squeeze. “Hey—Hunter, deep breaths. Deep breaths. It’s not just about how good your costume looks, remember? We’ll go up there, we’ll do the Astral Oath, and we’ll get it on acting. Piece of cake.” He nudged Hunter’s arm with his own. “For the boxed set, right?”

“For the boxed set,” Hunter repeated, but suddenly, the boxed set didn’t seem so attainable. “Okay. We can do this.”

The line moved slowly. Hunter could hear people ahead of them performing their characters, some strong and confident, and others barely managing to stumble out a “beam us up” before running offstage. But finally, the group ahead of them moved onstage, and Hunter could see out into the auditorium. Everyone who’d already gone had found a seat, adding to the number of people watching. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck.

For the boxed set.

“Cosmic Nerds?” the announcer called.

The full bridge rushed to center stage. Hunter watched, open-mouthed, as they pulled over to their respective bridge spots on the stage. The blue-uniformed one shook their head. “I don’t think the ground team is making it out of this one, Captain,” they sighed, “Logically, our best option is—”

The Captain Avery cosplayer straightened up, arms behind her back. “To leave them behind? No. Have you forgotten? Our crew is family. No matter who we are, or what we are, we love and protect each other.”

“Through supernovas, and solar winds,” the rest of the bridge chorused with them.

“Exactly. Now let’s get our family back.”

They rushed off the stage to thunderous applause from the audience, and Hunter’s stomach dropped. Captain Avery really had done better when on stage. And they’d performed the Astral Oath—if Hunter and Gus did that now, they’d just look like copycats.

There’s no way we win this.

Hunter started to back up, but then he and Gus’ names echoed from the front, and Gus stepped forward, accidentally tromping on the back of his heels, and before Hunter quite knew what he was doing, he was out on stage, with dozens of people staring at him, and a mic in front of him.

“Go on,” Gus whispered encouragingly, “Give me something to start the oath.”

“Um,” Hunter squeaked, and the mike screeched, making everyone in the audience wince. Hunter took a step back, ignoring Gus’ confused glance. His heart pounded in his ears. The stares of the audience bored into him, every single pair of eyes another judgement.

Say something

“Hey, everybody.”

Hunter blinked. Gus had taken the mic. He winked at the audience. “I know, breaking the fourth wall isn’t very in-character of me. But, well, maybe I don’t need to be Captain Avery at the moment.”

A murmur rippled through the watchers. Hunter took a deep breath, watching Gus. What was he up to?

“Cosmic Frontier means something special to everyone here,” Gus continued, “For me—and for Hunter—it found us when we needed it most. Avery, O’Bailey, and the rest of the crew showed up when home was uncertain, when who we were was uncertain, and they told us… well, they told us that even if we never found our way back home, that didn’t mean we couldn’t find our way to a family. And that family could be each other.”

Gus set the microphone back in the stand. “It might not be the Astral Oath, but hey…” he turned back to Hunter, holding out his fist. “I think Captain Avery would be okay if we used our own.”

A grin spread over Hunter’s face, and he bumped fists, elbows, and foreheads with Gus, both of them making an explosion noise.

“Captain Avery and Chief Engineer O’Bailey, beaming out,” Gus said into the microphone.

Hunter heard a piercing whistle and cheer as he walked off the stage. Shaari gave the two of them a big thumbs-up from the audience, her cheer setting off a wave of loud—if not as enthusiastic as the last round—applause.

The announcer took the stage again. “Aaaaalright. That was our last group, so. The judges are going to start their decision-making now. After the winners are announced, we’ll be opening up a vote for the crewmen’s choice. Be sure to scan the QR code and vote on your phone!”

Gus tugged Hunter to the back. “I’m sorry,” he murmured in a low voice.

Hunter blinked. “For what? I should be the one apologizing—I choked back there, I forgot Luz’s rule, I—”

“You wanted to back out. I should have listened.” Gus sighed. “Blinded by the box set.”

Hunter chuckled. “It’s a magnificent box set, to be fair. It’s okay, Gus.” He nudged his friend’s shoulder. “And—hey. Thanks. For what you said back there. It was… nice.”

“And now for our winners!”

Hunter and Gus turned back to the stage, listening impatiently through the solo costumes and original character costumes—Shaari won second and a free cosmic frontier keychain—until they reached the group award. Third place went by. So did second.

“And our first prize winner…”

Hunter held his breath, crossing his fingers.

“…Cosmic Nerds!”

The audience burst out cheering again as the group took the stage again, pausing for a photo, and for their prize. Hunter sighed.

“Oh, well.”

“Camila will be happy with a sticker, too,” Gus assured him, “We should go find her one.”

They wandered out of the auditorium, but before they’d gone far, Hunter felt a tap on his shoulder. This time, he managed to restrain his impulse to throw whoever it was over onto their back, and turned around.

Cosmic Nerd’s O’Bailey stood in front of him. The rest of the group cluttered in the auditorium doors, still laughing and elbowing each other.

“Make it quick,” their Avery called.

“Yeah, yeah,” O’Bailey called back. He gave Hunter Gus a warm smile. “Hey.”

Gus spoke up first. “Uh—hey? Congratulations on your win, man.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks. Um. I wanted to ask… is this your first con? I haven’t seen the two of you around, and the Cosmic Frontier Connecticut con scene isn’t exactly packed.”

“Yeah. It is our first.” Hunter squinted at him. What was his angle? “Why?”

“Thought so. No reason, just wondering.” He smiled that warm smile again. “Your costumes are really good—especially for a first con.”

Gus slapped his forehead. “Oh, MAN, I forgot to turn my headset on when we went out there! It lights up,” he explained to O’Bailey.

“Neat! Yeah, I just wanted to say… you know, what you said up there, that was really neat. I think a lot of us… Cosmic Frontier found all of us when we were vulnerable, and gave us something to hold onto. It gave us hope for something better when we were sweaty, awkward teenagers who no one liked.”

“O’Bailey!” the Avery said with exasperated fondness, rolling her eyes, “Come on, they’re announcing the crewmen’s choice winner!”

“One minute!” O’Bailey smiled after her, his expression softening. “Anyway… the people we met through Cosmic Frontier… well, the Cosmic Nerds are my best friends. They’re family.” A grin twitched across his face. “Anyway, all that to say, I’m glad Cosmic Frontier is still reaching teenagers like I was and giving them something to hold onto, the way it did for me.” He gave Hunter a thumbs-up. “I know what it’s like to be an O’Bailey. Seems like you’ve got a great crew already, eh?”

Hunter smiled despite himself. “Yeah. I do.”

Shaari pushed her way out of the auditorium. “Hey! Avery! O’Bailey!”

“Yes?” both sets answered.

Shaari flapped a hand at the Cosmic Nerds. “You guys already won, geeze. You two! Gus and Hunter! Hey! You won crewmen’s choice! Get back in there, they’re doing a picture, and they’ve got your prize.”

“We won?” Hunter asked, bewildered, “But we—we—”

“Spirit of the character’s sometimes more important than the bookline accuracy,” O’Bailey said with a wink, “Sounds like Avery’s speech did a good job rallying the crewmen.”

“Yes!” Gus fist-pumped the air. “Let’s go!” He started towards the door, then stopped. “Uh—well—Hunter—are you feeling up for it?”

“Of course,” Hunter said, and strangely enough, he meant it.

This time on the stage, the stares of the audience didn’t feel quite so piercing. This time, they cheered, and the announcer shook both Hunter and Gus’s hands, directing them to stand for a photo, and presenting them with a bumper sticker of Captain Avery giving a thumbs-up with the speech bubble “Keep Calm, and Don’t Crash the Spaceship.”

A grin split Gus’ face. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Hunter nodded. “This is going to look perfect on Camila’s car.”

#toh #the owl house #hunter noceda #hunter wittebane #gus porter #toh fanfiction #my writing #writing requests #asks

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